


A Fine Line

by CursedFire



Category: X-Men (Movies)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-30
Updated: 2016-01-07
Packaged: 2018-04-12 02:45:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4462499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CursedFire/pseuds/CursedFire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clark Swendon and his best friend Elan couldn't have been better fit to be fighting partners- one a dragon, the other able to control fire. The two have dealt with so much hate and evil together that when an anti-mutant terrorist groups threatens their friends and teachers, they do not hesitate to join Xavier and the other mutants to defend what is theirs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue 1

I’ve always been the odd one out. Clark Swendon, scrawny adopted kid of color surrounded by rich white Republican ‘family.’ On top of my tanned skin and shaggy dark hair, I’m also shorter than the rest of my family- I’m currently at a painful 5 feet even, and the doctor says I shouldn’t expect to grow more than 5 more inches. I’m only 15, he says I have hope for a growth spurt, but not to be of average height. My adoptive sister and mother are both 5’8” and my father a towering 6’2” which never helped my self-esteem. All I know of my birth parents is that my mother was 17 when I was born and she refused to name my dad. I like to think my dad was this short too; it gives me some comfort.

Today is the day I have been dreading. My father, a politician, is making an appearance at the local park. He’s even got special security and a fancy stage set up, he’s apparently that important. I never thought he got anything done but the people here love him. I hate him myself, he’s extremely anti-LGBT and we’ve gotten into several arguments over the fact that he’s still wasting taxpayer money fighting to keep gay marriage illegal. I’m certainly not gay myself, but why he thinks he can force his stupid religion on people is beyond me. Living so close to him and seeing some awful things happen to my LGBT friends, I’m not sure society will ever change. Definitely not if he keeps getting re-elected.

We arrived at the back of the park discretely, thank goodness. People here recognize my father and his biological family, but people seem to forget I exist. I can just wander off and pretend to have nothing to do with those jerks. I’m sure when his speech comes up, I’ll wander my way back, but for now it’s nice to just walk around the park alone. My mother and father aren’t paying the slightest bit of attention when I walk away, but my 18 year old sister gives me a strange glance. She motions for me to come back, but I ignore her.

The sky was cloudy when I woke up but now the sun shines from a bright blue sky, perfect for a day at the park. I head my way to the thickest trees, away from too many other pedestrians. I love to climb the trees even though I know it’s not allowed- the thick trees allow me to hide up in the branches where I’m not likely to be spotted. I pick out a shorter but fuller tree and glance around me, making sure I won’t get caught. I see no other people, so I begin to make my way up. The lowest branch is a good height, requiring just a little hop for me to grab. Swinging my body up, I ascend the tree and settle into a nook about 15 feet off the ground. The nook that I’ve settled in is way too comfortable, and thanks to the warm temperature, slight breeze, and calming green glow from the leaves, I soon drift into a nap.

A bird startles me awake. I jump, aggravating a knot in my neck. The bird caws and aggressively flies close to me and I notice a man coming down the pathway towards my tree. He’s clearly some sort of authority and looks angry, so I get my butt moving. I scramble down the trunk as quickly as I can, and I reach the bottom of the tree right as he is approaching. Before he can get close, I take off in the opposite direction, heading for the bathrooms. I remember from a trip here with my friend Elan that in addition to the men’s and women’s bathrooms, there’s also a family bathroom with a lock. As I get to the brick structure, I run around the corner and instead of ducking into the men’s, I enter the family bathroom. I can hear the man scuffle around the corner and enter the men’s room. I crack open the door and hear him say “I know you’re in here kid. I don’t care what your excuse is, but you’re not allowed to climb trees here. I will be pressing charges and the more time you waste, the worse it’s going to be for you.” I slip out of the bathroom and begin jogging back in the direction I came from. With a glance at my watch, I remember that I’m late for my father’s appearance. Passing my nice tree, I pick up my pace. My father is probably uttering trash to the people, but I want to see just how bad he’s gotten to please his party.

As I get closer to the stage, I get extremely tense. There’s a larger crowd than normal today and I can hear that the conversation that’s about to happen is not what I want to hear. Someone has brought up the worst subject possible, the only one that it pains me to talk about with my father. I’ve tried and tried to get my dad to see the light, but he just does not understand transgender people the way I do. Every time he speaks on this topic, he hurts the people closest to me. Especially now, after all that happened a few years ago, and after all the awful things he did.

My father starts into his anti-LGBT beliefs and I get so angry. My arms tense up and I wish more than anything that I could change his mind. I start to shake and I know that I need to leave. I can’t cause a scene; last time I did that, when I got home father punched me and yelled about how bad it was for his image and campaign to have a “raging liberal son.” Instead, I turn around and start storming off in the other direction, where I can be away from his stupid noise. I don’t want to be able to hear a single thing that comes out of his mouth.

My shaking becomes more violent as I stumble away. My father stares directly at me as I make my leave. People begin to glance in my direction, but I ignore them. I can still feel my father’s eyes baring into my back. My vision becomes foggy and I feel faint, but I just need to get away from my father’s booming voice in the microphone. My arms begin to ache but I’m not far enough away. I trip on the uneven ground and catch myself before I fall. _Something is wrong. I’m not normally this unstable._ I take another shaky step forward, but this time, I lose my balance. I feel like someone has pushed me over, but when I land on the ground, my arms keeping me from hitting my head, nothing makes sense. It’s not a hand below me, it’s a scaly arm. A dark, almost black, super shiny arm. _That can’t be right. What is that?_

I try to stand up again, but my balance is all messed up. My legs won’t bend right. There is something heavy, dragging me back down. I feel like my spine hits the ground behind me. My arms are still touching the ground but I’m as tall as I always was. People near me are beginning to freak out too. I can’t focus on what they’re saying, but all I see is them running away. People scream. I shake more and twist my head. Things are starting to make more sense as I feel my longer neck. It’s harder to hold my head up as I look around and see the long tail behind me and the dense wings on my back. _What the heck? I’m a dragon?... I’m…I’m a mutant._ I look around more and see my father still standing on stage, now silent, staring at me. He backs up. I turn away. This is not the time. I can’t deal with this right now. I’m 15, I have puberty to deal with, I don’t need this too. My father already hated me enough, and now look at me!

I look back towards my tree and move my legs. They’re working a little bit better now. I stumble on the ground a few times before I get into the groove of my new body. _I don’t want this. I don’t need this!_ I begin to sprint, moving faster than I ever have before. More people scream, more people run away. I just run towards my tree. My calming, nice tree. _It’s just a nightmare. I’ll wake up back in that tree and it’ll be time to leave._ I scramble towards it and leap. It’s easier this time to get up high, and I go as far as I can, as out of sight as possible. I curl up on a top branch, the highest one that can support my strange new weight- any higher and the branches begin to bend. _No._ I shake as I curl up into a ball, the trunk against my back. The green light of the leaves no longer calms me. People are gathering below now, wondering what the strange scaly creature is doing- what I’m doing. I tremble. I don’t want this attention.

I try to focus on something else, anything else, but do not succeed. People chatter and gossip below me and I tune it out best I can. I put my paws over my ears in an attempt to muffle them. I don’t know how long I sit there. Eventually animal control comes and tries to lure me out, but nothing they have will do the trick. I’m fine up here, away from everyone. The sun is going down. People are hungry, they leave to get dinner. Everyone has given up. I am alone again. I stay huddled in the tree, it is comfortable and safe. I close my eyes to try and sleep.

Sleep does not come. Before I can relax enough, an immense, painful roaring disrupts my almost-peace. It is so close to my tree, my safe-spot. I bolt upright, digging my claws into the branch below me, then leap down the tree. I use my heavy wings to try and slow my fall but I do not understand enough of how they work. My claws help me down, grabbing onto the next branch. Within seconds I am on the ground sprinting away. I do not get far before I am startled to a stop. A voice sounds in my mind. **_Relax, little one. We are here to help._** I turn my head around, cautiously inching further away from the voice. There is a thump as something hits the ground and a strange hissing noise. Several seconds later, a man in a wheelchair emerges down the path. More people follow him, intimidating people. He motions for them to stay put.

As he gets closer, I hear it again. **_Do not be afraid. I am here to help you._** I stop moving, watching the man curiously. He is focused on me, and puts his fingers to his head. **_My name is Charles Xavier. What is your name?_** I open my mouth to speak, but my vocal chords no longer work the same way. I mean to say Clark, but instead, a growling whine comes out. Somehow, he knows anyways. **_Clark, you do not have to speak. I can hear what you are thinking._** I turn my head to the side, confused. The man is close enough to touch me now. I look down at him. He opens his mouth this time, confirming that he was the one in my head. “Clark, it is okay. We are here to help you. You do not have to be afraid of us.”

I relax slightly, but I am still confused. I glance warily at the others who are far behind this man in the wheelchair. **_They are safe. They are like you, they too have developed mutations that set them apart._**

I look down at him. _Like me?_

**_Not exactly. All mutations are different, I have not met anyone like you before. But I do know someone else who can shapeshift._ **

He reaches towards me and puts his hand on my front leg. **_Clark, you need to relax. Can you become human again?_**

I whine, unsure. I am still uneasy among the others, but this man feels safe. I don’t understand how my mutation works, I don’t know why I shifted in the first place. I adjust restlessly, rocking from one foot to the other.

**_Clark, let me help you._** I hear. I cannot tell a difference, but this man focuses intensely on me for a long while. I look at him, concerned. How is he helping? All of a sudden, I feel a twinge, like a forgotten muscle being used for the first time in a long while.

I feel faint again, and blink. When I reopen my eyes, I am once again human, sitting naked on the ground in the middle of the park, looking up at the wheelchair. The man picks a blanket off of his lap and begins unfolding it. “Come Clark, get warm.” He passes the blanket to me. I stand and wrap up in it, letting it surround me, warming my shivering shoulders and goose bump covered legs. I glance around at the park, reliving my experiences from just hours before. _Will I have to go back home now? They hated me enough before._

The man looks up at me. “Clark, you don’t have to go back to them. I have a special school full of kids like you with nowhere to go. I can even help you control your mutation better while you’re there if you like. All of us will.” He motions to the other people.

I hesitate, thinking of all the things I would leave behind. Nothing, really. I never had much of a family, and my best friend disappeared three years ago. The only thing for me here is being a freak, getting beaten, and it would only get worse now that this happened. “I have nowhere else to go.” I say to him sadly. He pats my back once and turns his chair to face the others. We begin heading in that direction, and I see what made the terrifying noise before- a jet.

“I’m sure you’ll fit right in.” He says to me, as we approach the others. We stop when we reach them. I wait for Xavier to introduce them. “Clark, these are Scott and Logan.”

When his name was said, Scot nodded. “Hey Clark.” His smile made him seem reasonably friendly.

Logan on the other hand was the opposite. He was a huge dude, not tall, but clearly strong. He seemed very disinterested in me, and was rather intimidating. I decided to steer clear of him.

Scott reached towards me for a handshake. I wiggled an arm out from my blanket and took his hand weakly. “Let’s go find you some proper clothes.” He began walking towards the jet and I followed. Xavier was close behind me, but Logan lingered for a moment before following. As I ascended into the jet, I prayed that I was on my way to a better place.


	2. Prologue 2

We walked into the jet and Xavier immediately went to the cockpit. Scott stayed with me to help find something for me to wear. He found some clothes after some digging around, but they were never going to fit me. The smallest things they had were still much too large, they fell off too easily when I tried to put them on. I opted to stay wrapped up in the soft blanket since going commando in a pair of jeans that I'd fall out of was not any better.

"It shouldn't be too long until we get to the school. An hour tops." Scott told me and gestured to a seat. "I'm going to go tell Xavier that we couldn't find you clothes." I look a seat by a window and stared out. I got lost in my thoughts and drifted off before Scott came back.

When I was 11 years old, I lost my best friend. Elan was a Native American boy I had known and been best friends with my whole life, despite protests from my father. The first time I met Elan, that wasn't his name. In fact, when I first met Elan, I thought he was a girl. Everyone did really. But he knew who he was in kindergarten, and in 1st grade, his tribe convinced the school to treat him like any other boy. His tribe was supportive, as was I, however, my father along with many of the parents at the school heavily protested Elan's rights. They tried to restrict his bathroom usage and limit him to the nurse's bathroom and they tried to make it school policy to use legal name on everything, among other things. Not to mention that once we got older, other kids would tease him.

Elan had to deal with a lot of shit in his life. I hated to see him go through it. I tried to support him the best I could, but as puberty got close, Elan began to have serious anxiety issues. I was very worried for him, and he tried to convince me he was okay. When he was 12, the school made a big issue over locker rooms again, claiming that puberty and hormones would put him in danger around cisgender boys. It was in the local news and everything. Elan was having a hard enough time without getting threats from cityfolk as well.

Eventually, all of this publicity got Elan killed.

Elan disappeared one day walking home from school. They never found him. He was only 11. Nobody knows exactly what happened, but anyone close to him agreed that it was a hate crime. I never forgave my father for this. He refused to open his eyes to the danger and suffering, and Elan paid the price for it. Elan was gone for good and I lost my best friend.

I had tears running down my eyes when Xavier leaned down next to me, nudging me awake. "We're here. Come on inside. We'll find you some clothes and get you settled. I promise you, you'll be safe here. We are your new family now, you don't have to worry."

Groggily, I picked myself out of the seat and stumbled out of the plane in front of Xavier, wiping my eyes gently. In front of me was a large castle-like building. _School?_ I thought to myself. I glanced at Xavier who chuckled but offered no explanation. He came up to me and nudged my shoulder. "Come on, I'm sure you don't want to stay wrapped up in a blanket for long."

I nodded slightly and turned back to the building. Scott had gotten to the door and was holding it open for us. I took a shaky step forward and, with some encouragement from Xavier in my head, I made my way inside. Xavier rolled in behind me and laid a hand on my shoulder to guide me. I stopped and marvelled at the inside of this 'school.' The beautiful woodwork all around the room was so intricate that it stole my focus at first. The carvings were so detailed that I could stare at them all day. I was looking around when I realised that a bunch of kids of varying ages had appeared and were walking through the hallways, many of them turning to look at me. I shifted the blanket around my shoulders and wondered self-consciously if everyone knew I was naked underneath it.

Xavier put pressure on my shoulder, nudging me forward. "My office is this way. I should have something for you in there. The other kids are going to class right now, they won't bother us." I crept forward, not letting Xavier's hand leave my shoulder. All of these eyes were very intimidating and despite knowing these kids were also mutants, I felt very alone. Xavier reassured me that I will fit in here and that he is sure I will make friends. As we got closer to the door I thought we were headed to, the students thinned out. I started to glance at faces passing by on their way to class.

I caught the eyes of a boy about my age. He was of very slight build but was a couple of inches taller than me, and there was something eerily familiar about him. This boy looked exactly like someone I thought I'd never see again. "Impossible." I whispered to myself. He looked back at me and a smile grew across his face. There was no mistaking it, that awkward crooked smile that definitely belonged to him. My best friend, Elan. I froze. Elan was dead.

Tears began flowing down my face, and Xavier gently pushed me forward again. Xavier spoke in my mind. _**He has missed you. He will explain it to you later, if you will let him**_ **.** Elan and I both moved towards each other. He took large steps while I shuffled. Elan dropped his bag on the floor and wrapped his arms around me, and I collapsed into his chest. He had grown taller than me, just enough that my chin rested on his shoulder. I started crying harder and my legs began to bend. We sunk down to the floor, Elan never letting go of me. "Hey man." He said quietly in my ear.

"You…" I choked. "You were dead… Gone… Nobody... nobody knew what had happened…" I wrapped my arms around him, the blanket settling around my waist.

He pulled me tighter. "No man, I didn't… I didn't die. I didn't…" His voice cracked. "I didn't want anyone to think I was dead." He took a shaky breath. "I'm here. I'm alive."

I tried to control my breathing, but the sobs kept coming. This was too much to take in at one time. He kept speaking, his voice breaking in places. "It's…. it's complicated. But I promise you that I'll explain it all."

Xavier looked at us and gestured to the office. _**Elan, I'll let your teachers know you are excused. If you two would like to come into my office out of the hallway, we can discuss everything.**_

I sat there for a minute while I caught my breath and calmed down the sobbing. Elan did not make a move. When I was ready, I let go of Elan. I used one hand to gather up the blanket again and the other stayed around Elan's waist. Elan didn't let go as he stood up off the floor, pulling me up with him. Once I was standing, he helped me situate the blanket again and picked up his backpack. I walked into the office first, keeping him in my peripheral vision, still unable to believe he was real. He stayed close behind me, not leaving my sight.

Xavier shut the door behind us. I still was not in complete control of my breathing and tears were still seeping from my eyes. Xavier wheeled over to his desk and Elan followed him. He sat himself down in a chair in front of the desk and gestured for me to follow him with a smile.

As I made my way to the chair, Xavier turned to my friend. "Elan, do you happen to still carry a spare change of clothes with you? I think Clark would appreciate it if he could borrow them."

Elan laughed. "Of course professor! I may have everything under much better control, but better safe than sorry. I caught my pants leg on fire just yesterday in fact." He leaned over to his backpack. After unzipping it and digging around for a while, he emerges with a pile of clothes. I walked closer and looked down at him thankfully.

"There's a bathroom right through there you can get dressed in, and clean up a little if you wish." Xavier pointed to his right. I turned to follow his gesture and walked into the small bathroom. I closed the door behind me and set the clothes down on the sink, dropping the blanket. In the pile Elan gave me I found a pair of cargo shorts and a band tee-shirt. Luckily, Elan may have been taller, but he still wore the same small size as me, so these clothes fit almost perfectly. I splashed some cold water on my face before walking back into the office.

Part of me expected Elan to be gone when I walked out. I still couldn't believe he was really here. But he was still in front of the desk when I emerged, and I took the seat right next to him. I glanced between him and Xavier. "What's going on?" I ask.

Elan laughs. "That's a bit of a loaded question." Xavier puts up his hand, motioning for Elan to let him speak.

"As I told you at the park, this is a school. Specifically, a school for kids like you, kids who have developed mutations, to learn to control their powers. We can help you learn how to control your abilities, Clark. Everyone here knows how you feel right now. Everyone here has also developed mutations. This is a safe place. We have professors to teach you how to control your powers but also other subjects as well, so you still get a rounded education." Xavier waited for my reaction. I thought for a minute.

"So… all those kids are mutants too? All the students?" He nods. I turn to Elan. "Is this where you went four years ago? Do you have a mutation too?"

Elan smiles crookedly and reaches into his pocket. He pulls out a small lighter, lights it, then moves his other hand towards it, closing his fingers around the flame. He pulls his hand away, the lighter going out. Or so I thought. He opens up his hand to show me the little flame. When he moves his fingers, the flame moves. I watch in awe. Finally, he claps and the flame disappears. "I can control fire." He grins. "Can't seem to create it, but I can make it to whatever I want."

"That's so cool!" I smile at him. I turn back to Xavier. "And all the other students… they all do different things?"

Xavier nods. "Some students have very similar powers, but yes, there are a wide variety of abilities." He hears my next question before I speak it. "And yes, you are one of the more unique students. I have had a shapeshifting student in the past, but she had different limitations to her power. Hers worked very differently, she had certain limitations but she wasn't bound to one specific form."

Elan opened his mouth to speak but Xavier beat him to it. "Not now Elan, you will see in due time. We should let Clark get settled first. Which brings me to an important question for you. You currently don't have a roommate, right?" Elan shook his head. "Clark, would you like to stay in Elan's room? I'm sure he can help guide you around the school and make some friends." I nod, happy that I would not have to spend the night with a stranger.

"In that case, Elan, I will excuse you from all of your afternoon classes. Get Clark settled and show him around a bit later. Tomorrow, bring him to your classes."

Elan nods. "Of course professor."

Xavier turns to me again. "This weekend I am taking some of the other students to the mall. If you'd like to come with us, I will make sure you can get some clothes of your own and supplies for class. Until then, you could borrow some things from Elan I am sure. Two days shouldn't be too much of a hassle."

I nod to him. "I'll come this weekend then."

"You two are dismissed. And Clark, I do hope that this place soon feels like home."


	3. Chapter 1

Chapter 1  
The day you turn 18 is a special day here at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. See, while you have to go to normal school classes as a kid, once you become a legal adult, you’re allowed to spend that time perfecting your skills with your “special talents.” Elan turned 18 about 5 months ago, and I have barely seen him since. He has to get up much earlier than I do, and by the time I come back after classes and some one-on-one training in the evenings, he’s usually dead asleep. I don’t know what they have him doing in these fancy new lessons, but it sure takes it out of him. We’ve talked a little bit, but for the most part, our schedules are too different. On weekends, Xavier or Logan takes him and the other adults out on special ‘field trips’ that all the students know are actually missions, but we aren’t allowed to talk about it. Of course, now that I’m turning 18 myself, I should be seeing a lot more of my best friend.   
I sit down to eat my breakfast (scrambled eggs and bacon) and hear a familiar voice. Clark, meet me in my office when you finish your breakfast. I smile, my time has come. Today is my 18th birthday, so, like every student before me, Xavier is going to offer me a chance to train with the X-Men. As much as I love the chef’s amazing eggs and nice crispy bacon, I scarf that food down as quickly as I can, excited for what is to come. I burn my tongue on some of th e bacon, but I’m too happy to care. I am a pretty slow eater but in a record 10 minutes, I’ve finished my breakfast and am pushing out my chair to go see Xavier.   
On the way to his office, I begin to get nervous. What if I’m not good enough? What if he thinks I’m not ready? Has he ever not offered a student a spot if they want it? I know many students say no and chose to pursue higher education at universities, but I’ve never heard whether any kids don’t even get offered the chance. I don’t walk quite as quickly or eagerly anymore.   
When I get to his door, I don’t even have to knock. “Come in Clark.” I hear him call. With a small push from me, the door cracks open and I slip in. “Please, close it behind you.” I follow his instructions and glance around as I step towards a seat. Elan is standing at the edge of the room and I smile a little, more comfortable with my friend here.   
“I assume you know why you’re here. I know all you students let rumors run rampant, and in this case, they’re mostly correct.” Xavier says to me with a smile. I laugh and nod in response. “Normally, these meetings are conducted entirely in private, however, I have a special proposition for you and Elan. Typically, when one of you becomes of age, you will get private lessons and hone your skills at your own pace, which is what Elan has been doing for the past 5 months. When the extent of your powers is more fully understood, then we pair you with one person or a team with complimentary powers. However, you and Elan already have a strong bond and your powers fit so perfectly together that if you chose to join us, I would like to begin your training sessions together immediately.”  
I smile, very excited about the possibilities. “I would love to, sir. Being able to do something productive, to make a difference with my ability, that would be amazing.”  
“Very well then. Since you’ve already had breakfast, we can begin right away if you both would like.”  
I look at Elan who is smiling back at me, the eagerness in his eyes evident. I notice that he is in comfortable workout clothes, and I wonder if I am dressed properly for whatever training we are about to do. All the training I had been allowed to do so far has been simply learning to control my shifting into my dragon form as well as some simple, not very intense defensive training. I shift my eyes back to Xavier, about to ask the question, and I see the sweat pants he has just placed on the desk.   
“Alright, let’s do it.” I say as I pick up the pants. With that, I let Elan and Xavier lead the way. We walk down the halls and I have no idea where we are going. Eventually, Xavier stops at a section of the wall, just a big blank section. I can’t say I am surprised when he reveals an elevator behind the wood paneling; with all the other weird stuff that goes on here I figured there were also plenty of rooms I was unaware of. The three of us smush into the elevator and begin the descent into new territory. Well. New for me. Elan’s been working here for 5 months. This is all familiar to him by now.   
When we reach our destination floor, I’m amazed. There is an entirely different feel to this part of the mansion. Instead of the classic elegant style above ground, this floor is a concrete structure built for a purpose. Modern electronic doors and bare walls decorate the path to where we end up: a large open room that was easily two floors tall and filled with absolutely… nothing. I turned to Xavier curiously, wondering what kind of training we’re going to be doing.   
“Well Clark, from what I’ve been hearing, you’ve kept your powers pretty well secret. I think before Elan can train with you, you gotta show him what you got.” He smiles. I smile back, excited to show off what I can do. As I hit puberty and my growth spurt, so did my dragon form, and at 8 feet tall at the shoulder, I simply take up too much space to shapeshift most of the time. Not to mention that I shift back naked which makes practicing more difficult. But since Xavier found me naked and Elan is my best friend, I don’t worry about them.   
I walk into the center of the big room. Xavier and Elan follow and close the door, Xavier stopping Elan from approaching any closer. I get undressed and set the sweatpants Xavier gave me to the side as I let my reptilian form take shape. Within seconds, I am standing well taller than them, my strong form taking up more space in the room than I expected. Elan has a huge smile on his face and he slowly comes closer, admiring the dark iridescent scales. He reaches out and touches my chest. I look down at him and smile, making a rough noise to get his attention. I face away from him down to the other end of the hall, crouch down so I’m more at his height, and I blow out the fire that I recently mastered.   
I glance back down as I blow and I didn’t think it was possible, but Elan’s smile gets even bigger. He reaches out towards my mouth and begins to shape the fire, directing some of the flames into swirls and balls. I try to blow less fire so he can control more of it, but I’m simply too big and he hasn’t had enough practice with this yet. Xavier clears his throat to get our attention. I cease the fire and we turn to face him again.   
“As you can probably now figure out, we all think you’d be great partners because of the nature of your friendship and the compatibility and possibilities with your powers. In fact, if you guys also agree, we were thinking about getting a harness made for you, Clark, that would allow Elan to control your fire from your back. Of course, we still need to fine tune your abilities, Elan.”   
Elan and I nod. Elan speaks what I am thinking. “I’d love that! I couldn’t think of a better partner than Clark.” I nod at Elan, sure Xavier can hear the agreement I am thinking. A woman then walks in that I don’t recognize, but Elan greets her, so she must be one of the X-Men.   
She comes over to me. “Hey Clark, we haven’t met before, but I’m Sarah. I’ve got quite a gift with making clothes, so I’m gonna try my hand at a saddle for you guys. I’m just going to measure you, ok?” I watch as she takes out a measuring tape, reaching around my neck, then my chest, and then measuring parts of my shoulders and back. While she’s doing that, Elan walks around me, investigating. He’s got such an interest in my dragon form, I guess because it’s quite an unusual power, from what I’ve heard. Plus I went from being a short guy to this huge fire-breathing reptile, which I’m sure is a shock.   
Once Sarah is done, she says thank you and leaves. Xavier says to me “Why don’t you turn back human, so we can talk?” I walk myself over to the sweatpants and collapse back into my human form, quickly pulling on the sweatpants so I’m decent. I gather up my other clothes and walk with Xavier, who is now going to another room, this one with seating. It looks a lot like the small classrooms upstairs. Xavier rolls to a desk and motions for Clark and I to sit, so we do.   
“As excited as I know we all are about focusing your powers and practicing, you need to learn more about how we work here too, what our goals are. We need to tell you about our past and current concerns, our history. And right now, the biggest concern is an anti-mutant organization that has popped up. They’ve been doing some serious digging and we’re concerned that they might be close to finding out information about our school. We have people setting up security and alarms in case they find out too much, but we want all of our x-men to know about this threat. If there is something you can do to help, I will assign you to do it, but for now, you need to work on honing your skills.”   
Elan leans forward, upset. “Wait wait wait. They might be finding information about the school? What are they planning to do? I have to do something to help! We have to stop them!”   
Xavier has a stern look on his face. “I know you want to help, but its important that you train. You aren’t ready to help yet. You and Clark need to train, get used to working together. I’m sorry, I know you want to help.”


End file.
